HTC is officially pulling the plug on its 2015 launch of the HTC Vive, pushing the date back until April of 2016. HTC isn’t giving any reason for the delay, but the update on the VR headset’s availability was also accompanied by news that a second generation HTC Vive Developer Kit will be unveiled at CES next month. We’re not sure what changes HTC has in store for the hardware, but we’re going to assume that it will look a little closer to the final retail version that will be sold to consumers in April. HTC is also planning to seed an additional 7,000 Developer Kits in January, giving more developers the opportunity to work on virtual reality content that’s geared specifically for the Vive and its custom tracking technology.

Development of the final hardware may be taking longer than expected, but that may not be the only reason for the delay. While there are dozens of different demos that are currently being used to show off the HTC Vive experience, the delay may be a strategic play to ensure that there is enough quality content available to make the Vive a compelling platform for first adopters.

Are you saving up to buy the HTC Vive when it’s finally available in April?

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While plenty of tablet cases offer a built-in solution to prop the tablet up for viewing, it still leaves it at a level that is too low to comfortably watch for long stretches of time or when lying down. Tstand looks to solve this problem with a hinged design that allows for many different viewing angles. Whether you are resting it on your chest and watching videos in bed or propping it up in the kitchen to read a recipe, you should be able to find the right angle.

The stand can hold any tablet from approximately 7 inches up to about 13 inches, so unless you are one of the folks that picked up the Samsung Galaxy View, it has your tablet covered. When not in use, the Tstand folds down to a reasonably compact size and will fit in a 13-inch laptop bag.

I haven’t gotten my hands on with the Tstand personally, but I have spoken to a few friends that have tested prototype versions and came away impressed with the quality.

Tstand just wrapped up a successful Kickstarter project in which they raised nearly $200,000, and the product is nearly ready to ship. At present, you can still buy it on their website at the Kickstarter pricing, $37 for the black model and $42 for the silver model, which is about half what they are planning to sell for after this promotional period.

If you consume or create a lot of content on a tablet, I would definitely recommend checking the Tstand out.

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The latest SwiftKey update brings a few important enhancements, including Pinyin support for traditional Chinese. Traditional Chinese speakers can now enter the language using a QWERTY layout. Also included are typing enhancements that are aimed at improving typing performance, making it easier to type on. The emoji panel has been improved as well.

Unfortunately, this latest update will reset the typing data you’ve built up while using the app. This is necessary for the update, and it will adapt within a few days and be back to normal. But don’t freak out when SwiftKey isn’t remembering all your favorite predictions for a few days.

Hit up the Play Store to update SwiftKey and let us know how the new enhancements work out!

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The Android Developers site posts monthly distribution numbers to let devs know what version of Android people using Google Services are running. It’s both educational and depressing! So many people on ancient operating systems, though the numbers grow smaller each month.

This month, Marshmallow saw a rise to 0.5%, which is a tiny userbase but expected for a new OS. Popular devices receiving updates will fix that quickly, while Nexus users are a tiny majority. Lollipop sits at 29.5%, and KitKat takes the majority at 36.6%. Unfortunately, 3.6% of devices are running an Android version older than Ice Cream Sandwich.

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The Pixel C has finally arrived! While Google has released a couple of Chrome-powered Pixel devices over the past few years, the Pixel C is the first Android device in the lineup. The spec sheet on the Pixel C is quite impressive, featuring an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 10.2-inch 2560 x 1800 pixel display, 32GB and 64GB storage options and a USB Type-C plug. The Pixel C runs the latest version of Android and Google is promising that the tablet will get updated every six weeks to ensure it is always running at its best.

The 32GB version of the Pixel C tablet will sell for $499, while the 64GB model will come with a $599 price tag. If you are interested in the optional keyboard, which magnetically connects to the Pixel C, you’ll be out an additional $150. The keyboard can be adjusted at angles between 100 and 130 degrees and it features inductive charging so that you never have to worry about its battery running low.

We’re not sure if the Pixel C tablet is right for you, but it’s definitely a compelling option if you crave stock Android and want hardware that’s engineered by Google.

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Instagram has been busy with updates recently, but one can only hope its latest new version will keep the new features it’s implementing.

Recently, the photo-sharing social network updated its Android app to support a major new feature that’s quite similar to 3D Touch, a feature that is a major selling point for Apple’s iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. With it, iPhone users can press a bit harder on the display and pop out an image thumbnail to see a bigger version of that image. They can also use 3D Touch to quickly like that image, comment on it, or send a message to the user that initially shared it.

With the updated Instagram app, version 7.13.0, this feature is replicated in a simple way: the long press. Now Android users can long press on an image thumbnail to see it bigger. Once that’s activated, and without lifting your finger, users can select Like, View Profile, or choose the Share option.

It’s a nice, quick way to view images without having to dig into profiles and then find your way back. Instagram updated its iOS app quite some time ago to feature 3D Touch as a new way to interact with the software, so it’s good to see the social network bring similar features to Android.

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The Life Sciences group within Google X is no longer a pie in the sky project. The group has graduated and is now named Verily, and is positioned as a full-fledged business within Alphabet (Google’s parent company). Life Sciences is mainly known for its work on smart contact lenses, which can track glucose levels and relay the findings to a smartphone. While the product isn’t yet on the market, Novartis (a Swiss pharmaceutical and health company) signed a licensing agreement with Google back in 2014.

Verily’s broader scope is to use technology to gain a clearer picture of our personal health. While Verily will be creating its own hardware and software to track the human body, it will also be working with strategic players within the same market segment to increase its speed to market. Verily isn’t working specifically on Android apps or Android-powered hardware devices, but there’s no doubt that the smartphone will play a huge role in Verily’s plans to capture and monitor the data that its devices collect.

What futuristic health monitoring device do you hope Verily thinks up next?

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HTC’s Tuesday Hot Deals are back! The budget-friendly HTC Desire 626 is now selling for $150, $30 less than its usual $180 list price. We’re gonna bet that you’ll likely never use the HTC Desire 626 as you main device, but it does make a good backup device and is good enough that we’d recommend it for anyone who’s looking to upgrade from a feature phone. If you already have an HTC phone and simply want to get your hands on a few extra accessories, HTC is offering a 40% discount on all of its accessories. The HTC Desire 626 and accessory discounts are only available today and will expire at midnight PST.

And don’t forget, the HTC One A9 trade-in promotion was also extended. If you have an iPhone 6 or newer that you want to trade in, the HTC One A9 can be yours absolutely free.

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Sony and Facebook aren’t really competitors, but Sony is now following in the social media giant’s footsteps by releasing a standalone PlayStation Messages app for Android and iOS. Previously, messaging functionality was built into the PlayStation App, but Sony has decided to allow the functionality to stand on its own since messaging was likely the most used feature of the app. The new app give you the ability to view which of you PlayStation Network friends are currently online, send standard or voice messages, spam them with useless stickers and even send group messages to up to 100 people.

Facebook got a lot of flak when it chose to decouple is messaging feature from its main app, but the company’s proven that a dedicated messaging apps offers a much better user experience. We’re not exactly sure if things will turn out the same way for Sony. While the PS4 is currently the must-fave gaming console, Sony’s isn’t really known for good software.

Do you think breaking messaging out into its own PlayStation Messages app is a good idea?

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We doubt anyone is celebrating at HTC, but we wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t a few thousand sighs of relief after HTC posted its revenue report for November. HTC’s revenue for November rose to NT$10.29 billion, a six-month high for HTC and a 15% increase over October. The increase is revenue is unofficially attributed to the launch of the HTC One A9 which went on sale near the end of October. November was also the third month in a row that HTC’s revenue increased over the previous month. Unfortunately, there’s also some bad news to go along with HTC’s numbers. While the needle appears to be moving the right direction, HTC’s numbers for November are 39.25% lower than what HTC posted last year and year-to-date revenue is 33% lower when comparing to 2014.

There’s no guarantee, but the HTC One A9 may also boost HTC’s revenue in December. HTC USA extended its One A9 trade-in promotion until early next year after it helped increase Black Friday weekend sales by 731%. The phone isn’t that impressive when you compare it to other devices in the same price category, but its design and build quality do have a certain appeal for iPhone users who are interested in making the switch to Android.

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